There are many obstacles in developing a pure electric vehicle—an electric vehicle running solely on an electric vehicle battery, as opposed to a hybrid electric vehicle that also includes an internal combustion engine—having mass market appeal. One such obstacle is overcoming “range anxiety,” which is the fear that the electric vehicle battery will run out of charge before the vehicle reaches its destination. Actual range varies with driver operation and frequently has been found to be worryingly less than expected, especially in heavily populated areas where traffic speed is variable, while the demands on the battery from non-motive peripherals are constant (air conditioning, heating, lighting, etc. . . . ). This varying range prevents electric vehicle users from accurately planning the actual transportation range of their electric vehicles even if the users know the percentage that the electric battery is charged at the beginning of a trip. In order to reduce range anxiety, attempts have been made to extend the range of the vehicle (i.e., “range extension”) by increasing the amount of battery energy per vehicle. However, increasing the amount of battery energy per vehicle has been limited by the slow progress in the increase of practical energy density in large electric vehicle batteries. Additionally, although the use of hybrid electric vehicles reduces range anxiety, the use of electric and combustion drive systems together increases costs and does not fulfill the broader objectives for zero emissions and zero petroleum consumption.